Purple Founding Partner, Mark Squier, sat down with Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, co-hosts of New Hampshire Public Radio’s Civics 101 Podcast, to share his experiences in presidential campaigns as part of Civics 101’s limited series: How to Run for President. Check it out!

Link: New Hampshire Public Radio Civics 101 Podcast: How to Run for President

20 Democratic presidential candidates traveled to Detroit, Michigan for the second primary debates on July 30 and 31st. While much of the media reporting and online conversation in the aftermath focused on the biggest winners and losers of the night(s), we took a slightly different approach to understand the impact of the debates.

Utilizing Quid, a natural language processing tool, we produced a graphical representation of what was said by each candidate and moderator at the debates in the Motor City. By focusing on what was said by each candidate, we’re able to glean insight into key topics and how they’re connected.

With a wide field, and still 462 days until Election Day, candidates spent a lot of time defining themselves and how they would lead the Democratic Party while on the debate stage.

Although news coverage speculated that the economy would account for a majority of discussion in Detroit, it actually took a backseat to another prominent issue, healthcare. On night one of the debates, which included Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Rep. John Delaney (D-MD), former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and activist Marianne Williamson, healthcare was mentioned in over 21% of statements. A driving force of this topic was frontrunner Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All proposal, which moderators not only asked Sanders himself to defend, but also posed questions to the Vermont senator’s competition about their stance on his signature healthcare proposal.

Another reason behind the prominence of healthcare both nights of the debates at the Fox Theater were critiques of the healthcare industry as a whole. “What I don’t believe is that the profit motive of big pharma or big insurance companies should ever determine, in our great nation, whether somebody gets healthcare or not,” Obama’s former housing secretary Julian Castro said on night two of the debates.

This criticism of industries for their greed was not just specific to the healthcare or Big Pharma, Wall Street, the fossil fuel industry and generic corporations also came under attack by candidates. But these attacks were kept broad and did not zero into specific companies or corporations by name. In fact, less than 1% of overall statements from each night of the debate mentioned a specific company by name.

Castellanos has served as communications consultant to seven U.S. presidential campaigns and has helped elect more than a dozen U.S. senators and governors. As Chairman of Purple Strategies, he employs over four decades of political consulting experience to help some of the largest and most valuable brands in the world solve their toughest challenges.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 17, 2019) – On April 3^rd, 2019, in Napa, California, The American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) inducted Purple Strategies’ Co-Founder and Chairman, Alex Castellanos, into its Hall of Fame at their 50th Anniversary Celebration. It is the highest honor the association bestows upon political consultants and strategists who, throughout their career, have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, excellence and accomplishment.

Throughout his storied career as a strategist, Castellanos has helped elect U.S. presidents, governors, senators and congressmen, running campaigns that expressed each candidate’s story with a clear and powerful focus. Before his acceptance speech, Castellanos’ life and career were summarized in a short 2019 AAPC Hall of Fame Honoree Video  (Please click on volume icon, bottom right of video for sound and narration). Castellanos’ approach has always been to help candidates find the truest thing to say and the most emotionally powerful way to say it. In addition to his electoral successes, Castellanos has been credited with being the father of the political attack ad, coining the phrase “soccer mom” and redefining how we talk about voters and their values.

In his remarks, Castellanos expressed his gratitude to the AAPC and noted, “Campaigns are often small things that divide people on issues. Causes are larger. They unite us by giving us a purpose greater than ourselves. We are at our best, not just when we help candidates run great campaigns, but when we help them lead great causes.”

A decade ago, Castellanos, a Republican, and Democratic political strategist Steve McMahon joined together to form Purple Strategies with the goal of bringing campaign speed and strategy to issues, organizations and companies seeking to succeed in a rapidly changing economic and political environment. With its iconic name signifying the harmony of both red and blue perspectives, and a growing slate of national and global clients, Purple has become a recognized leader in the strategy and communications field. Today, it is home to over 100 political campaign, brand strategy and corporate reputation experts who work together to help global brands and organizations address their toughest challenges.

“Alex is incredibly deserving of this honor from AAPC. It’s a great recognition of the significant contribution he’s made to the art and science of winning campaigns,” said Steve McMahon, Purple’s Co-Founder and CEO. “While his induction in to the AAPC Hall of Fame speaks to the legacy he has built as one of the country’s most gifted political strategists, the need for Alex’s unique talent for identifying issues of consequence and the trends that are shaping the future is in more demand now than ever. We feel lucky to have his leadership, wisdom and mentorship at Purple.”

In his role as Purple’s Chairman, Castellanos continues to provide counsel to clients as they look to understand and navigate the social and political forces that determine their success. He also spends a great deal of time working with the firm’s next generation of leaders, helping them develop as thinkers, creators and strategists. His advice to leading brands and companies is rooted in his belief that you speak to stakeholders the way candidates must speak to voters: with an eye toward the future and an authentic voice, providing the largest uniting purpose possible.

Multimedia:

AAPC Hall of Fame Honoree Video (Facebook)

Please click on volume icon, bottom right of video for sound and narration.